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by Nova Wells
Hell Creek-Wilson Dam Site
(14RU5)
Petroglyphs HD7 to HD10
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HD7 to HD10 and HD11 to HD13 are all from one area. Witty (1962:87) describes the cliff at this site as follows: "a massive exposure of sandstone some 30 to 40 feet high...to bear at least six separate areas of petroglyphs carved into the stone along some 1,000 feet of outcrop...panels some 20 feet long and from 4 to 8 feet above the valley floor." The face of the cliffs is almost solidly carved with lines and symbols including several squares with dots in the center. Few English letters are found here.
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The anthropomorphic figure HD7 has five distinct digits on each hand. Both his body and head are filled with lines, and other lines are carved around him.
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The little figure HD8 may or may not be anthropomorphic. The head is almost owl-like. The horizontal lines across the neck and below the feet are produced by natural bedding planes in the cliff face. The vertical lines are all carved.
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The Corn Plant HD9 is at the top left of the same area (Area 1, 14RU304). This petroglyph could represent either the entire plant or a single ear. As a single ear, the husks are bent back, exposing the cob. The three lines at the bottom look like the short, stubby roots of the corn plant, bringing a more representational view of the tall plant stalk and its wide, folded leaves. The other two figures on the left may not have been made at the same time. Both symbols are fairly common on the Plains.
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Some special garb makes the anthropomorphic figure HD10 different from all the others in the Saline. In his left hand is a skin bag similar to the one carried by R2. His headdress appears to be a pair of rabbit ears. Wedel (1964:252) speaks of the importance of rabbits for both food and fur to prehistoric Shoshoneans, ancestors of the Comanche. Among many Indian cultures, Rabbit is the trickster. Burland (1965:123-6) tells how Rabbit stole fire from the sky people so the Hitchiti could have fires in their homes. Another Creek myth includes Rabbit as a thief and trickster involved in the origin of maize.
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